Did you know that May is recognized as "National Recommitment Month"? On the list of too many national days, months, and weeks to count, this is actually one I find necessary and will completely stand by. While commitment may be the act of simply doing what you said you would do no matter what, it unfortunately isn't that simple for many. However, commitment isn't something that we can just brush under the rug in our everyday lives. Commitment is a major component of everyday life. So no, there is no waking up one day and saying "This commitment thing is hard, I'm not going to do it today". It simply does not work that way. Everyday is a commitment. You may be committed to going to work to receive pay, or committed to taking a shower to stay clean, committed to eating a meal to nourish your body, committed to paying for services and costs to receive their benefits and features, etc. The list goes on, but as you can clearly see, commitment is a way of life, and there's no escaping it.

May being National Recommitment Month is perfect for focusing our energies into what we truly desire. It's the fifth month of the year, foreshadowing our halfway through the year mark, reminding us of the goals and visions that we've had in place at the start of the new year, and pulling us out of the comfort that we may have unconsciously slipped into.

Within the past year, I have really had a pull towards commitment and its truth. Upon realizing that commitment is a way of life and a necessity to success, true commitment has undoubtedly become more of a focus in my daily life.

It's time to ask ourselves if we are truly committed to something or merely interested. In order to find out how commitment and interest differ, we must understand how they look.Take these two examples of a person who wants to lose weight:

Interested in Losing Weight.​This person admires people who are toned, in shape, and healthy. They know that they want or need to lose weight and feel an inner conviction about it, especially when seeing people who are healthy and in shape. They may work out here and there, but constantly give in to unhealthy cravings. They eat foods reflective of their interest, but have no meal plan or guidelines, or standards and procedures. They have an idea of when they want to have their ideal body, but no charted date written down. They may only workout or eat healthy when they feel like it. This person is interested in losing weight.

Committed to Losing Weight.

This person has in their mind a vision for what their weight loss will look like. They know why they want to lose weight, and they've set a date to achieve milestones. They check in with their goal often and know the specifics of their plan so that improvement and success is recognized and noted throughout their weight loss journey. This person has a workout regimen that works for their life and vision and some sort of standard of eating. They stick to their guidelines and plans no matter what and no matter how they feel. This person is committed to losing weight.

As you can clearly see from the two above examples, interest and commitment are very different. If we aim to be a success in anything, true commitment must be our way of life. Not halfway commitment, interest, fleeting emotions, and temporary motivation. To help you out on your journey, here are four tips to getting recommitted:

Know your "why".

Knowing why you want to do something makes recommitment much easier. Creating a "why", and reminding yourself of it daily will motivate you, and remind you of the reason that you are committing yourself to anything.

Have a Vision and Plan.

Simply knowing what you want to commit to isn't enough to be committed, for that is mere interest. Actually being committed requires the action and a pivot in your normal routines. Whatever you are committing or recommitting to, create a plan. Know what it takes, know what you will need to do to hold on to it, and figure out what works best for you. Also, have a vision on what successful commitment will look like by knowing what it's benefits and rewards are.

Set a Date.

We all know that setting dates is an important part of goal setting and achieving the goals you've set for yourself. Without setting a date, a person has little to no direction. Setting a date is essential to create a sense of purpose and urgency, see your progress, and measure your own success. When getting recommitted, setting milestones to achieve a larger goal will help you work your way into full commitment and making changes.

Set Standards.

One of the most powerful things I've done in the past couple of years was reestablish what my standards are in several different areas of my life. Some of these areas were men, career, the foods that I eat, money, etc. I decided what was appropriate for what I wanted to accomplish in the future, and set standards so that I'd have a guideline to follow. Choose the different areas in your life that you want to stop wavering and settling in and set standards for them. Write them down and reflect on them daily and powerful changes will occur!

What are you getting recommitted to? Tell me your thoughts in the comments, and remember that you don't need a new month to be recommitted to anything (start where you are, and as necessary)!